A Sydney man accused of murdering a nine-year-old girl whose body was found in a barrel close to where she went missing suffers from long-term mental health problems, a court has been told.
Justin Laurens Stein, 31, appeared via video link in Sydney’s Central Local Court on Wednesday where his lawyer asked for an order to keep his client safe from other prisoners.
“Mr. Stein (has) concerns for his personal safety while in custody,” Paul Rowe said.
Stein is accused of murdering the schoolgirl who was reported missing last week while holidaying with family at Wildenstein Private Gardens in Mount Wilson, a village in the Blue Mountains northwest of Sydney.
According to court documents the girl – who can no longer be named for legal reasons – was murdered between 7 pm on January 11, and 10 am on January 12 at Mount Wilson.
She was reported missing on Friday morning, January 14.
Mr. Rowe said Stein had “been under long-term care for mental health problems” and had been prescribed a fairly high dose of antipsychotic drugs quetiapine and risperidone for many years.
Magistrate Robert Williams said he could order Justice Health to assess the inmate’s mental health needs and abide by any medication requirements.
But the magistrate said his prison status was up to Corrective Service NSW.
“I can’t make an order for that,” Mr. Williams said.
The court was told the case, due back in court on March 18 in Penrith, involved some “complexities”.
The 31-year-old was arrested at his Surry Hills unit on Tuesday night after police found the body of the child in a barrel while searching bushland near a stretch of the Colo River.
Stein was wearing a white hooded jumper and a blue surgical mask on Wednesday and did not apply for bail.
His court appearance comes after more than 100 police and emergency personnel – including dog units, homicide detectives, rescue choppers, and volunteers from the SES and Rural Fire Service – scoured the area around Mount Wilson and bush near the Hawkesbury River for five days.
Photos: Justin Stein MT Wilson Wildenstein Age & Partner Kallista
Justine Stein is 32 years old. Kallista Mutten, the mother of 9-year-old Charlise Mutten, is engaged to Justin Stein.
Stein was arrested and charged with murder. He was denied bail and was unable to appear in court.
Justin Stein was apprehended by a gang of investigators at an apartment in Riley St, Surry Hills, in inner Sydney.
The Wildenstein estate, where Charlise is said to have vanished, is frequently used as a wedding location and is owned by Mr. Stein’s family.
Colo River, about one hour from the Blue Mountains, was also searched by NSW Police.
When Charlise vanished, she was thought to be wearing a pink shirt with a round neck collar and pink Nike thongs.
Charlise Mutten Murder & Missing
Police have seized a boat and a car in their search for a young girl who vanished from a lavish estate surrounded by lush forest.
Charlise Mutten, nine, was living with her mother Kallista Mutten when she vanished on Thursday at Justin Stein’s family’s large private wedding location.
Charlise and Kallista, who live in Queensland, were on vacation in Sydney and were staying at the Stein family’s premium property, Wildenstein, in Sydney’s Blue Mountains.
According to NSW Police, the missing girl is ‘of Caucasian look, between 130cm and 140cm tall, of thin build, with brown hair and brown eyes.’
The 12-acre site, which includes residential buildings, is being treated as a crime scene by investigators.
According to 9News, Police officers searched a pond at Wildenstein, which is owned by Justin’s brother James Stein. They also confiscated and analyzed a white boat that was used on the site for fingerprints.
The yacht is also said to be undergoing forensic examinations. Off-road trail bikes have been dispatched across the property, and officers are searching the surrounding area.
Charlise’s disappearance is still a mystery.
Is Justin Stein Arrested?
Justine Stein was apprehended and taken to jail by a gang of homicide detectives. He’ll have to go to court.
Charlise, a nine-year-old girl, spent two weeks in Coolangatta, Queensland, with her grandma.
One theory concerning the youngster’s disappearance is that he was whisked away from the premises in a mystery car with no headlight.
John Hartzler, who lives next door to the Stein, said his wife Carole was reading when she heard a car on the driveway at 4.30 a.m. on Friday.
They took Mr. Stein’s red Colorado vehicle in Penrith later that day for forensic testing.
Human remains were discovered during a search near Colo River, roughly an hour from the Blue Mountains, according to police. A child’s body was discovered in a barrel on public land.
